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Gambling grows as form of recreation

By KELSEY BLACKWELL
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Students who are looking for an escape from the daily routine in Cedar City can travel to Mesquite, Nev., for gambling and fun.
Mesquite is the closest gambling facility available to SUU students. According to www.mapquest.com, estimated driving time from Cedar City is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes on Interstate 15.
Mesquite has four 24 hour casinos; the Virgin River Hotel Casino; Oasis Resort Casino, Golf and Spa; Eureka Casino Hotel and the CasaBlanca Hotel, Casino, Golf and Spa. Slot and video machine games offered include: quatermania, megabucks and wheel of fortune. Table games include: poker, craps, roulette and blackjack.
Students can gamble with as little as 5 cents in some slot machines, but most table games require a minimum bet of $5.
Lee Chart, a junior physical education major from Park City, said he went to Mesquite twice during Spring Semester last year.
“The main reason I go is to gamble,” Chart said. “It’s not so much that I’m trying to make money, it’s just a fun time.”
Chart said he enjoys gambling because of the anticipation that he might win a lot of money.
“The draw (to gamble) is there’s always a chance I could win big,” he said. “Both times I was in Mesquite I made enough to cover my trip, so it was just like a free trip.”
JamieLee Parrish, a junior communication major from Racine, Wis., said she’s gambled only once because she’s not old enough. She said, however, in the future she could plan a trip to Mesquite or Las Vegas.
“I would plan a trip specifically to gamble in the future because there’s always the
possibility you could win a lot of money,” Parrish said.
There are several reasons people gamble, despite the looming and very probable threat of losing some, if not all, of their money.
Daniel Seligman, a reporter for the National Review said in a commentary, he likes to gamble because of the thrill of winning.
“There are several things to be said for gambling,” he said. “The first one is: You really might win. Furthermore, you might win big. In fact, you almost certainly will win big if you hang in there and structure your bets properly. And, it’s terrific entertainment”
However, when thrill seekers become compulsive gamblers, and what was once entertainment becomes an addiction, gambling can become a serious problem.
According to Consumers’ Research Magazine, compulsive gambling affected more than 5 million Americans in 1999. Compulsive gamblers consist of 95 percent men, but numbers are rising for teens and women.
“Opportunities to gamble are increasing rapidly, and all but two states have legalized some forms of gambling,” according to the magazine.
Internet gambling is especially popular for underage college students because many of the gaming sites are based in country’s that can skirt U.S. gambling laws, according to Yahoo! Internet Life magazine.
“Internet gambling, long a bugaboo for the Justice Department, threatens to spiral out of control at U.S. universities,” according to the magazine. “It’s fueled by a combination of easy access to

 

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID PAYSTRUP / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

online casinos and credit card companies that are more than willing to let 19-year-old’s dig themselves deep into debt before they understand the complexities of compounded interest.”
Paul Simmons, a senior theatre arts major from Denver, said before he begins to gamble, he determines a goal amount to winand stops once he reaches it.
“If I’m just $40 ahead I’ll usually keep playing,” he said. “Once I get to $100 I usually stop.”
Mariam Arthur, a senior university studies major from Cedar City, said after she had lost the money she needed by gambling, she now only plays when she knows she can afford it.
“I had $50 for gas to get from Cedar City to California,” she said. “On the way I stopped in Mesquite to see if I could increase it. I played 3 hands of blackjack at $5 a pop and lost each time. That incident totally cured me. I have no interest in losing money I can’t afford.”
For those who don’t learn from their mistakes quite as quickly, support groups are available to help people who think they might have a problem.
Gamblers Anonymous is an organization that offers help to anyone who thinks they might have an addiction.
“Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others recover from a gambling problem,” according to www.gamblersanonymous.org
Gamblers Anonymous offers a 12-step program based on ancient spiritual principles and rooted in sound medical therapy, according to its site.
Gamblers Anonymous invites those who feel they might have a problem to answer 20 questions that indicate something is wrong.
Some of those questions include: “Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling? Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy? Did gambling affect your reputation? Have you ever felt remorse after gambling? Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties? Did gambling cause a decrease in you ambition or efficiency? After loosing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?”
Information on Gamblers Anonymous can be found at www.gamblersanonymous.org.